IOC president Jacques Rogge has criticised athletes who swap nationalities purely for financial reasons but has admitted not all changes are the same and called for balanced reporting.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said some athletes had legitimate reasons for changing nationality (Picture: AP)

Rogge said some athletes changed nationalities for monetary gain, but added there were legitimate reasons for others to do so, such as the so-called ‘Plastic Brits’, American-born Tiffany Porter, whose mother is British, and Cuban-born Yamile Aldama, whose husband is British.

Both were members of the British team at the recent World Indoor Athletics Championships and are in line for places in the London 2012 Olympic team.

âI understand the fully legitimate reasons like study, work, marriage or family reasons. Maybe you donât love it but you can understand it,’ he said.

‘Then you have those athletes where there is support for them but they go to another country because there is a bigger gain to be made.’I have reservations in the cases of the athletes who obviously don’t lack any support emanating from their sporting and government authorities and who still change nationality.

‘We cannot oppose it because it is a matter of sovereignty but let me tell you frankly we do not love that.’